ABSTRACT
In Chapter 2 we outlined the various steps in the information processing sequence. It has become evident that almost any cognitive process relies on prior knowledge that is stored in memory. For information to be stored effectively in memory and to be retrievable for later judgments, decisions, and action planning, it has to be structured and organized appropriately. Just as a meaningful word is much easier to read and to be held in memory than a random sequence of letters, social information has a stronger impact on individuals and their behaviour if it is organized and embedded in an orderly context. Imposing structure on human memory is similarly important as an ef®cient and systematic organization of an index card ®le, a computer directory, or a library. In this chapter we will address memory processes in more detail. We will start out with two questions that are directly linked to each other: How is information organized in memory? and How is information retrieved? The next section will then focus on how new information is linked to already stored information and how existing cognitive structures can be changed by new information. We will then address how prior stored knowledge impacts social judgment, discuss conditions that can increase or decrease this impact, and examine how individuals may try to control for the sometimes unwanted impact of prior knowledge. The concluding section will address the constructive nature of human memory.
